5 Riots With Terrible Causes That Got Less Criticism Than Baltimore

Chaos consumed Baltimore on Monday following a weekend of mostly peaceful protests over the tragic death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray.

On April 12, Freddie Gray was arrested by Baltimore police. At some point during the arrest, or while he was in custody, he sustained a spinal cord injury that led to his death a week later, on April 19.

The incident involved irrefutable police misconduct. What's more, it's still not known exactly why Gray was arrested or how he became fatally injured.

Over the weekend, protesters took to the streets of Baltimore to challenge what is viewed as an unjust and unequal system in which police violate their authority with ostensible impunity.

Yet, on Monday, as violence and destruction consumed the area, people began to question why some Baltimoreans thought destroying their own city would bring about justice and reform.

In many ways, this is a fair inquiry. Violence begets violence, as Martin Luther King, Jr. once stated.

Many people in Baltimore have been subjected to systemic violence on behalf of the powers that be. And while this doesn't justify rioting, it helps explain it.

Last night, we saw Baltimore at the edge of its sanity. It was painful to watch, but we have to recognize that it's a consequence of the convoluted nature of America, its culture and its history.

Baltimore's problems, like so many other American cities', are rooted in a complex array of issues that will not be solved overnight: poverty, police brutality, homelessness, drug addiction, violence, poor housing and infrastructure, a lackluster education system and so much more.

Thus, these riots were not just a response to a single arrest but an entire system. Things were bad in Baltimore long before Freddie Gray.

Ta-Nehisi Coates, a writer for The Atlantic and a Baltimore native, explains it quite aptly:

Lot of folks pointing out the rioting isn't "justice" and won't bring Freddie Gray back. Of course it isn't, and of course it won't.
— Ta-Nehisi Coates (@tanehisicoates) April 28, 2015Rioters gave up on those counts along time ago. — Ta-Nehisi Coates (@tanehisicoates) April 28, 2015Rioting is not an attempt to do what is unimpeachably morally correct.
— Ta-Nehisi Coates (@tanehisicoates) April 28, 2015It is an expression of anger. Some humans riot because their school lost the big game. Others because the State can't stop killing them. — Ta-Nehisi Coates (@tanehisicoates) April 28, 2015

The last tweet is particularly important as it reveals a dangerous double standard in reactions to riots in America. All riots should be condemned, but this is rarely the case.

To put it bluntly: When drunken sports fans riot for no substantial reasons, we brush it off as a bunch of inebriated idiots unaware of what they're doing.

When black people riot, we label them "thugs" and ignore what instigated the chaos in the first place.

Hockey fans love a good fight, and this penchant for violence ended up spilling out onto the streets of Vancouver in 2011.

Following a 4-0 Stanley Cup loss to the Boston Bruins, a riot began in downtown Vancouver. Rioters set cars on fire (including police vehicles), looted businesses and destroyed public property, and it was all because of a hockey game.

In October 2014, Keene held its 24th annual Pumpkin Festival. What was meant to be a peaceful and happy occasion turned into all-out destruction and pandemonium.

A rowdy crowd overturned cars and threw liquor and beer bottles as they lit bonfires and destroyed public property. Ultimately, police had to fire teargas to disperse the rambunctious pumpkin partiers.

Boston, MA -- World Series Riot, 2004

Whites Riot in Boston, 2004. Because a baseball team won a game. One woman was killed by police. pic.twitter.com/CVqPVmVEZT | #Ferguson #tcot — A Aryeh Perez (@Jethro_Aryeh) November 28, 2014After the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004, Boston PD shot Victoria Snelgrove with a crowd control round and killed her.
— Sarah (@buonasahra) February 2, 2015

In 2004, Boston won the World Series, breaking the infamous "Curse of the Bambino." After 86 years, the Red Sox were finally on top again. Naturally, people wanted to celebrate, so thousands took to the streets. In the process, riots broke out.

People began vandalizing property, turning over cars and lighting fires. Police responded in full force, but in doing so, they killed an innocent woman named Victoria Snelgrove. She was in an area where there was no visible rioting, just celebrating, but a pepper spray projectile fired by police hit her in the eye, ultimately killing her.

They lit fires, destroyed public property and caused thousands of dollars worth of damage. Police had to use tear gas to disperse the raucous crowd.

Rioting is always destructive and counterproductive, but it's more understandable when it occurs in the midst of painful events related to complex issues. When partying and sports lead to riots, it's always senseless.

As we move forward from the tragic events in Baltimore, let us think carefully about their root causes. In doing so, the city might finally begin to heal and progress.